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What Can You Do?
From National Center for Victims of Crime
Stalking is unpredictable and dangerous. No two stalking
situations are alike. There are no guarantees that what works for one person
will work for another, yet you can take steps to increase your safety.
- If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
- Trust your instincts. Don't downplay the danger. If you feel
you are unsafe, you probably are.
- Don’t communicate with the stalker or respond to attempts to
contact you.
- Keep evidence of the stalking. When the stalker follows you
or contacts you, write down the time, date, and place. Keep e-mails, phone
messages, letters, or notes. Photograph anything of yours the stalker damages
and any injuries the stalker causes.
- Ask witnesses to write down what they saw.
- Take threats seriously. Danger generally is higher when the
stalker talks about suicide or murder, or when a victim tries to leave or end the
relationship.
- Contact a crisis hotline, victim services agency, or a
domestic violence or rape crisis program. Tillamook County Women's Resource Center can help. Call our 24-hour hotline at (503) 842-9486 or toll free in Oregon at 1 (800) 992-1679. We can help you devise a safety
plan, give you information about local laws, refer you to other services, and
weigh options such as seeking a protection order.
- Contact the police. Besides stalking, the stalker may have broken other laws by doing things
like assaulting you or stealing or destroying your property.
- Develop a safety plan, including things like changing your
routine, arranging a place to stay, and having a friend or relative go places
with you. Also, decide in advance what to do if the stalker shows up at your
home, work, school or somewhere else. Tell people how they can help you.
- Consider getting a court order that tells the stalker to
stay away from you.
- Tell family, friends, roommates, and co-workers about the
stalking and seek their support.
- Tell security staff at your job or school. Ask them to help
watch out for your safety.
IF SOMEONE YOU KNOW IS BEING STALKED:
- Listen.
- Show support.
- Don’t blame the victim for the crime.
- Remember that every situation is different and allow the person being stalked
to make choices about how to handle it.
- Find someone you can talk to about the
situation.
- Take steps to ensure your own safety.
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